[go: up one dir, main page]

WO2025216646A1 - Atténuation d'éclat lumineux et prévention d'éblouissement - Google Patents

Atténuation d'éclat lumineux et prévention d'éblouissement

Info

Publication number
WO2025216646A1
WO2025216646A1 PCT/RO2024/050002 RO2024050002W WO2025216646A1 WO 2025216646 A1 WO2025216646 A1 WO 2025216646A1 RO 2024050002 W RO2024050002 W RO 2024050002W WO 2025216646 A1 WO2025216646 A1 WO 2025216646A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
light
observer
bright
sensor
sources
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
PCT/RO2024/050002
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Alexandru Pop
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to PCT/RO2024/050002 priority Critical patent/WO2025216646A1/fr
Publication of WO2025216646A1 publication Critical patent/WO2025216646A1/fr
Pending legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60J—WINDOWS, WINDSCREENS, NON-FIXED ROOFS, DOORS, OR SIMILAR DEVICES FOR VEHICLES; REMOVABLE EXTERNAL PROTECTIVE COVERINGS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES
    • B60J3/00—Antiglare equipment associated with windows or windscreens; Sun visors for vehicles
    • B60J3/04—Antiglare equipment associated with windows or windscreens; Sun visors for vehicles adjustable in transparency

Definitions

  • aspects of the disclosure relate to displays that are capable of having transparent qualities, positioned between the observer, user or sensor, and bright sources of light.
  • the disclosure encompasses the selective blocking or darkening of specific pixels or areas of the display, that would have otherwise allowed light to dazzle or cause glare to an observer, user or sensor. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention are directed towards having many regions, similar to pixels on a display, that can be individually controlled in a way as to selectively block incoming light, while leaving other regions transparent.
  • Another embodiment which is part of this disclosure consists of having a transparent display that instead of outright blocking or attenuating incoming light, the display acts as a selective polarizer. Unpolarized light from a bright source gets converted into polarized light, with bright regions are polarized at a certain angle, while dark regions are polarized at an opposite angle. By having an additional polarizer filter in front of an observer or user's eyes that is aligned with the dark region's polarized angle, the user will see an output which blocks light that has opposite polarization.
  • transparent displays positioned in front of camera sensors themselves to selectively block bright light, therefore reducing bright light glare for camera sensors. Such embodiments can also improve a camera's dynamic range.
  • Certain embodiments are described that allow a user or an image sensor to be protected from light glare, dazzling, and flashes, such as in the case of metal welding or military applications.
  • Use cases include for example having windshields, either partially or completely, with regions that can block or attenuate bright light coming towards the driver, reducing eye strain. This encompasses both direction specific and colour specific light attenuation. For example, traffic light colours may be excluded from the attenuation.
  • Other use cases can include smart sunglasses, with the capacity of either attenuating bright light or preventing bright flashes of light from dazzling or even blinding the user, for example in the case of stun grenades or muzzle flashes.
  • the invention may be used for welding applications, enabling a user to better see how to perform welds, as the method described herein provides a way to attenuate or eliminate the bright light caused by the welding arc, while fully protecting the user's eyes from harmful light.
  • Embodiments may also be mobile in nature, for example in dedicated cameras, camera-phones, other hand-held devices, or even more compact embodiments, such as within a camera sensor itself.
  • FIG. 1 represents a block diagram illustrating an exemplary such system, and the main components used according to some embodiments.
  • FIG. 2 represents another block diagram which illustrates an embodiment with the set-up of having the controllable transparent display module in front of the camera sensor module itself.
  • FIG. 3 presents another block diagram, with an embodiment that is closely related to the previous set-up from FIG 2, but in addition to the controllable transparent display module having a display module as well.
  • FIG. 4 illustrates embodiments with a single observer and a single bright source.
  • FIG. 5 illustrates a typical scenario where the invention can be used, inside an automobile.
  • the windshield is represented as the controllable transparent display, capable of projecting dark pixels, spots, or blobs to selectively attenuate incoming bright light.
  • FIG. 6 is based on the previous FIG. 5, and shows the invention in action, by blocking the incident bright light from the Sun. The same result may also be obtained by using smart sunglasses, where the lenses serve as the controllable transparent display.
  • FIG. 7 illustrates examples of two bright light-sources in the field of view. The same example can be extrapolated to an undefined number of bright light-sources.
  • FIG. 8 shows another typical scenario where the invention can be used, in dimly lit environments, for example at night, where incoming light from other cars can dazzles drivers.
  • FIG. 9 is based on the previous FIG. 8, and shows the invention in action, by attenuating the incident light glare from the different sources of the environment, both primary and the ones caused by reflections.
  • FIG. 10 represents the typical embodiment where the invention is used to attenuate light glare for a human with binocular vision.
  • FIG. 11 illustrates an embodiment where the spatial positions of the observer's eyes are estimated through a set of front-facing cameras.
  • FIG. 12 represents a block diagram which illustrates an embodiment specific to avoiding camera sensor glare, that avoids the use of a controllable transparent display, and instead uses a micromirror array to completely block regions of the image that are too bright.
  • FIG. 13 is related to the block diagram of FIG. 12, offering a representation of the individual micromirrors in the array, and the simplified physics related to the reflection of light from the micromirrors to the camera sensor.
  • FIG. 14 represents another embodiment of the disclosure which instead of blocking light through the controllable transparent screen, it polarizes it at a certain angle. To be able to see the light attenuation, polarized glasses can be used.
  • a light attenuation system can consist of two camera modules 104, and 105, so as to enable a stereoscopic view of the environment, and thus enable spatial localization of possible bright light sources.
  • the information from the two camera modules gets transmitted to an Image Processing module 103, which contains the algorithms to identify the bright light sources, to pinpoint the spatial location of these sources, and also the controller for the transparent display module 102, so that it can trigger specific pixels to darken.
  • the observer 101 would look through the transparent display at the environment, and any bright light sources would be attenuated.
  • calibration 107 may be required in the form of both factory- automated correspondences between information fed from the cameras and the controllable transparent display, and may also be manual user-dependent variables, such as X and Y axis positioning, and possibly different algorithms that are to be used in different lighting circumstances.
  • Calibration 107 details would typically require both setings that are specific to the hardware, for example the spatial position of the two camera sensors 104 and 105 in relation to each other and their alignment with the captured environment, while some manual setings may be required for the correct estimation of observer's 101 (eye) position.
  • Calibration 107 may also be simplified or automated based on other sensors 106.
  • diverse sensors may be used.
  • One example would be to use ambient-light sensors that automatically determine day-time or night-time to enable a pre-selection of bright light sensitivity thresholds. For example, in the night-time, at a given moment there may be many regions of above-average brightness threshold, but these should not be completely blocked as they may be needed (e.g., bright red or green lights).
  • the Sun would usually the brightest it would be the main region on the controllable transparent display which is blocked or dimmed.
  • the blocked region on the screen can have a gaussian coefficient applied, increasing the darkened display regions transforming individual pixels into "blobs".
  • a gaussian blur of different parameters may also be applied to the processed image to smooth out sharp gradients between transparent and the blocked or darkened regions of the controllable transparent display. This effect would be applied by the Image Processing Module 103, with either automated or manual inputs also coming from the calibration module 107.
  • Calibration may be in several forms such as manually inputing height or X-axis and Y-axis adjustments for each eye, or for example applying a different gaussian blur to the processed image, thereby increasing or decreasing the size of the blocked or dimmed region of the transparent display is larger or smaller.
  • the position of the observer is presumed to be stationary. Nevertheless, small spatial movement of the observer can be compensated by having a slight increase in the size of the blocked areas compared to the required area. This may be in the form of a user supplied calibration input. Automatic observer tracking or eye-tracking solutions can automatically calculate spatial positioning and adjust the blockage or atenuation areas on the screen without the need for a user-supplied calibration input. By using such additional sensors which use automatic eye tracking technology would bypass this limitation, as described in other embodiments within the same disclosure. [0033]
  • the Image Processing Module 103 needs to continuously compute the spatial positions of any bright light sources. In some embodiments, the image processing module may also include motion estimation to improve efficiency and resolve system timing lag between camera sensor, processing, and the transparent screen display. Response time is critical for successful implementation of glare and bright light attenuation.
  • FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a system with the set-up of having the transparent display module 102 in front of the camera sensor module 202 itself.
  • a feedback loop 205 from the Image Processing module 103 any bright light that is captured can be subsequently blocked or attenuated by the transparent display.
  • Calibration 107 would still be required to map the transparent display to the camera sensor, but this set-up would not explicitly necessitate manual input.
  • This embodiment would enable to provide a solution for capturing objects hidden due to light glare. For this set-up, periodic checks, for example every few seconds, would be required to determine correctly if bright light continues to remain an issue, and if attenuation is still needed.
  • the Image Processing module 103 may be equipped with algorithms that predict movement (motion-estimation). For example, for Sun-induced bright light, the proposed periodic checks can be extended to longer durations, but for nighttime faster moving light generating sources may require more frequent checks. A typical usage would be for example in the case of external surveillance cameras. In such situations, malicious actors that use blinding light, visible or infrared, could also be prevented by using this solution.
  • the same set-up which is elaborated in FIG. 2 can be used for enabling higher dynamic range of the camera sensor, resulting in better-quality captured images under bright light conditions. Even though the bright light would not actually sensor itself as it would be blocked by the transparent panel, attenuated regions may be recorded on the digital image as having higher luminance, corresponding to the amount of dimming applied to the transparent screen.
  • FIG. 3 presents another block diagram, with an embodiment that is closely related to the previous set-up from FIG. 2, but this embodiment assumes a smaller package typically designed for portable or mobile devices. It consists of the Transparent Display module 102 positioned in front of the Camera module 302. Both 102 and 302 modules are connected to the Image Processing module 103, which controls the Transparent Display through a Feedback loop 205, and receives information from the Camera module 302. For correct functioning a calibration to map the camera pixels to the pixels from the transparent display is typically required. Following the attenuation of any bright light coming into the camera sensor by means of passing through darkened regions on the Transparent Display 303, the final image captured by the camera can be shown to the user by means of a Display module 305.
  • This embodiment may also be used for example for welding applications, enabling the person performing the weld to see both the environment and the welding arc at the same time.
  • the transparent screen module 303 could protect the camera sensor from possible degradation due to electromagnetic radiation generated from the welding arc.
  • Current usual applications in the industry temporarily darken the entire screen, while in this embodiment, only the region close to the welding arc would be darkened.
  • Other examples of this technology may be to reduce bright light glare for typical mobile camera sensors.
  • the light path's 402 incidence on the transparent screen 102 can be predicted, and intercepted in the form of a black or darkened area 408.
  • the initial path of light is attenuated 409 before arriving to the observer 101.
  • the entire windshield could be used as the transparent screen.
  • all the components could be integrated in the shape of a sun-visor or sun-visor extender.
  • FIG. 5 A typical scenario where such an invention can be used is visible in FIG. 5, where in this situation the Sun 501 is causing excessive glare while driving a car. Envisioning the entire windshield as the transparent display, as seen in FIG. 6, dark areas can be activated 601 and 602 so that the Sun's glare is attenuated. In this specific situation, the brightest spots detected by the cameras are attenuated using the maximum darkness of the transparent display 601, while in this situation a gaussian algorithm is applied around the maximum brightness area 602 as identified by the cameras (not visible in this illustration).
  • "Smart" Sunglasses and Augmented Reality (AR) glasses may be used. If the “smart” sunglasses or AR glasses, are capable of selectively displaying darkened or black areas, thus specifically preventing light glare from reaching the user's eyes, are also to be enveloped in the scope of the invention. Within the same scope, are “smart” sunglasses or Augmented Reality glasses which prevent dazzling as well.
  • the invention may successfully block all glare-inducing light-sources using the same principle.
  • two bright light-sources are present in the field of view 701 and 702.
  • the same example can be extrapolated to an undefined number of bright light-sources.
  • the two camera sensors, 703 and 705 detect the relative spatial positioning of the bright light sources by stereoscopic imaging and measurements based on the incident angles 703, 704, 707, and 710.
  • the incident angles of light 703 and 704 that are directed at the observer 716 may be intercepted on the transparent screen 102, and blocked through the generation of darkened pixels in the corresponding regions 712 and 713.
  • successfully intercepting the light going towards the observer and attenuating it 714 and 715 either partially or fully.
  • certain wavelengths or colours of light may be ignored by the algorithm, so that they are not attenuated, such as is the case for red, green, yellow, and blue light, as they are used for organizing or controlling traffic.
  • the main sources of bright light 901 and 902 are attenuated, and the camera sensor can adjust itself to better capture information from the darker surroundings.
  • the bright high intensity light is blocked also from the primary reflections of the lights to the pavement 903 and 904, to the lateral wall 905, and also reflections from other objects such as from the metalling pole 906.
  • Such light artifacts may be partially avoided by using different material camera lenses or anti-reflective coatings which are not part of the current disclosure.
  • the position of the observer's eyes 1013 and 1014 is then correlated to where darkened regions 1009 and 1010 on the transparent display 102 are generated in order to intercept the light coming from the bright light source 1001 towards the user's eyes 1013 and 1014, through light path 1002 and 1003, and attenuating it correspondingly 1011 and 1012.
  • an initial degree of manual calibration may be required.
  • certain embodiments may additionally benefit from eye tracking or even pupildilatation measurements to automatically enhance vision based on what the user is looking at, dimming or clearing the corresponding area of the transparent screen in front of the user. For example, highly dilated pupils and intense focus on a certain area would mean both a dark environment and that the user tries to better identify a certain object or region in space, therefore in this case, any darkened areas of the transparent screen that the user is intensely looking at could temporarily be made more transparent.
  • a micromirror array is based on optical micro-electro-mechanical technology, consisting of microscopically small mirrors laid out in a matrix on a semiconductor chip, also known as a digital micromirror device, but which is outside of the current disclosure. Nevertheless, current use cases are different from this disclosure, as micromirror arrays are currently not utilized to capture light, but to project it. This disclosure specifically involves capturing light, instead of projecting it. Another method and system for attenuating light glare to prevent dazzling for camera sensors is also detailed, it consists of using a micromirror array, as represented in FIGS. 12-13. In this method, light first hits the micromirror array 1203, before it gets reflected into the camera sensor 202.
  • the image received from the camera sensor is processed 103, and based on identified bright spots through diverse algorithms and calibrations 107, the feedback loop 205 may be used to control individual micromirrors, for example 1310 and 1311, which may be tilted to selectively prevent light propagating from certain directions from reaching the camera sensor altogether.
  • the final result may optionally be displayed on a conventional display 305, and saved digitally to the device as the user prefers.
  • bright incident light 401 gets directed at the Camera sensor 202, firstly being directed at the micromirror array 402 bouncing off the individual micromirror 1311, then reaching the camera sensor through the reflected light-path 1303.
  • the image processing module 103 contains the mapping correspondence between each camera sensor pixel and each micromirror in the array, and consequently commands the tilting of the mirror, deflecting the light and entirely preventing the bright light from reaching the camera sensor.
  • the disclosure includes a usage-case for digital micromirror devices, the functioning basis consists of having the camera sensor pointed at the micromirror array, such that light from the camera aperture reflects on the micromirror on a one-to-one matrix with each pixel on the camera sensor.
  • Each micromirror can reflect the light to specific pixels of the camera sensor, either individually, or focusing on small areas of a single pixel (tuned to prevent light interference).
  • the visual edges of the camera sensor are represented by the intermittent lines 1035, 1306, 1307, 1308 in FIG. 13, this ensures proper mapping between the mirror array and the individual pixels of the camera sensor.
  • Another embodiment which is part of this disclosure consists, as seen in FIG.
  • a transparent display 1402 that instead of outright blocking or attenuating incoming light, it only polarizes it.
  • the basis of this embodiment is a twisted nematic effect liquid crystal display which polarizes light.
  • twisted nematic liquid crystal technology is widely used for example in the computer monitor industry, therefore could provide an economic way of incorporating such benefits of attenuating light glare to prevent dazzling.
  • Specific regions 1408 of the transparent screen cause the light arriving from the bright source 401 incoming towards an observer 101 through light path at a certain angle 402 to be polarized 1409. Unpolarized light 402 from bright source 401, gets intercepted on the transparent display 1402.
  • a certain region 1408 on this display shifts the polarization to a certain angle (e.g., vertical) while the rest of the image would get polarized at the opposite angle (e.g., horizontal).
  • the polarized light 1409 passes through the polarized filter 1410, which blocks any light that coincides with the light shifted region 1408, while leting the rest of the image pass unaffected (e.g., polarizer filter is horizontal, therefore blocking all light that is vertically polarized) and reaches the user/observer 101.
  • the observer 101 can utilize another polarizer filter 1410, such as polarized glasses, of an opposite polarity or an opposite polarization angle, thus being able to see the areas on the display that the system darkened or atenuated the glare of 1411.
  • another polarizer filter 1410 such as polarized glasses
  • the user can just remove the polarizer filter (glasses) off, and, with the naked eye, there would be practically no discernible difference between the activated and deactivated areas of the transparent screen.
  • the system would function only when the user is using polarized glasses of the required polarization angle 1410. While naked eye observers would not notice any difference with the system activated or disabled, by using polarized glasses at the correct angle, the atenuation regions of the invention can become visible. This can increase safety in case of system failures (for example, in case that the system wrongly identifies the brightly lit light sources).
  • configurations may be described as a process which is depicted as a flow diagram or block diagram. Although each may describe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may be rearranged. A process may have additional steps not included in the respective figure.
  • examples of the methods may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or any combination thereof.
  • the program code or code segments to perform the necessary tasks may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as a storage medium.
  • Digital, or even analogic, processors may perform the described tasks of selectively attenuating light propagating towards an observer or sensor.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Liquid Crystal (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un procédé et un appareil pour atténuer un éclat lumineux, comprenant la capture d'images stéréoscopiques numériques, le calcul de zones de luminosité maximale, et leur affichage sous la forme de zones assombries ou semi-opaques sur un écran (102) qui bloque sélectivement la lumière entrante, de sorte que la lumière émanant de différentes sources soit interceptée et bloquée ou atténuée avant d'atteindre un observateur ou un capteur (101). Des procédés de calcul des zones de luminosité maximale peuvent faire appel à différentes techniques de traitement d'image, allant d'un seuil de limitation simpliste basé sur une vérification par pixel, à des algorithmes et des solutions plus complexes tels que l'apprentissage automatique. Des cas d'utilisation donnés à titre d'exemple peuvent comprendre : la protection des yeux lors d'applications de soudage, la conduite de nuit, l'amélioration de la gamme dynamique de capteurs de caméra autonomes, tels que des capteurs de caméras automobiles, des capteurs de caméras de surveillance, des lunettes de soleil, des applications militaires, telles que l'atténuation ou la prévention de la désorientation due, par exemple, à une lumière aveuglante ou des éclairs de bouche, ou toute autre application impliquant la gamme dynamique de niveaux de luminance ou de luminosité.
PCT/RO2024/050002 2024-04-09 2024-04-09 Atténuation d'éclat lumineux et prévention d'éblouissement Pending WO2025216646A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/RO2024/050002 WO2025216646A1 (fr) 2024-04-09 2024-04-09 Atténuation d'éclat lumineux et prévention d'éblouissement

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/RO2024/050002 WO2025216646A1 (fr) 2024-04-09 2024-04-09 Atténuation d'éclat lumineux et prévention d'éblouissement

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2025216646A1 true WO2025216646A1 (fr) 2025-10-16

Family

ID=90971636

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/RO2024/050002 Pending WO2025216646A1 (fr) 2024-04-09 2024-04-09 Atténuation d'éclat lumineux et prévention d'éblouissement

Country Status (1)

Country Link
WO (1) WO2025216646A1 (fr)

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20020071185A1 (en) * 2000-12-07 2002-06-13 Jean-Loup Chretien System and method for dynamic optical filtration
WO2003074307A1 (fr) * 2002-03-07 2003-09-12 Yechezkal Evan Spero Systeme de vision amelioree pour la conduite
US20090015682A1 (en) * 2003-12-26 2009-01-15 Tietronix Optics Anti-glare device, method and accessory, and imaging system with increased brightness dynamics
US20220365374A1 (en) * 2016-05-19 2022-11-17 Maximilian Ralph Peter Liechtenstein Adaptive polarization filter grids

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20020071185A1 (en) * 2000-12-07 2002-06-13 Jean-Loup Chretien System and method for dynamic optical filtration
WO2003074307A1 (fr) * 2002-03-07 2003-09-12 Yechezkal Evan Spero Systeme de vision amelioree pour la conduite
US20090015682A1 (en) * 2003-12-26 2009-01-15 Tietronix Optics Anti-glare device, method and accessory, and imaging system with increased brightness dynamics
US20220365374A1 (en) * 2016-05-19 2022-11-17 Maximilian Ralph Peter Liechtenstein Adaptive polarization filter grids

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US11938795B2 (en) Vehicular vision system with glare reducing windshield
US7970172B1 (en) Electrically controlled optical shield for eye protection against bright light
EP1683668B1 (fr) Système de vitre à transmissivité variable
US7973838B2 (en) Active mask for electronic imaging system
EP3458308B1 (fr) Imageur à correction active d'exposition
US9940901B2 (en) See-through optical image processing
US10462380B2 (en) Camera system with light-shield
KR102301950B1 (ko) 눈부심 방지 스크린을 포함하는 데이터 표시 안경
US20060140502A1 (en) Active visor system for eliminating glare in field-of-vision from mobile and transient light sources and reflective surfaces
US12190008B2 (en) Display device
JP2006188224A (ja) 車両用暗視システム、光源操作システム及びその制御方法
WO2003074307A1 (fr) Systeme de vision amelioree pour la conduite
EP0459433A1 (fr) Dispositif anti-éblouissant
WO2019185050A1 (fr) Système et procédé antireflet de véhicule et véhicule comprenant le système antireflet
JP2018138394A (ja) 車両に用いられる表示装置、車両に用いられる表示制御装置、及び車両に用いられる表示制御方法
US11027657B2 (en) System for rearview camera as a glare sensor
Hiroi et al. AdaptiVisor: Assisting eye adaptation via occlusive optical see-through head-mounted displays
JP2010179817A (ja) 車両用防眩装置
KR102795348B1 (ko) 자동차의 차단장치
JP2018177205A (ja) 車両の日除け装置
CN113352852A (zh) 强光遮挡的方法、装置及系统
GB2445365A (en) Anti-dazzle apparatus
WO2025216646A1 (fr) Atténuation d'éclat lumineux et prévention d'éblouissement
CN104811614B (zh) 用于车辆的摄像机系统以及用于求取时间脉冲信号源的图像信息的方法
CN211014891U (zh) 调光眼镜

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application

Ref document number: 24723639

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A1